Check-controlled lock for lockers.



y s. L. FLOWERS. CHECK CONTROLLED LOCK FOR LOCKERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l?, 1913. I L.. Patented Apr. 25,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E5/1... l IRQ- js. L. FLOWERS.4 CHECK CONTROLLED LOCK FOR LOCKERS. AP-PLICATION FILED JUNE17. 1,913.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

me/Mofa y g... Q@

S. L. FLOWERS.

CHECK CONTROLLE'D LOCK FOR LOCKERS.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE17. ma.

E., SQQQ. Patented A131". 25, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

@mw/m ysUivxrTnR'man FLOWERS, or BOULDER, COLORADO.

CHECK-CONTROLLED LOCK FOR LOCKERS.

Matroos@ 22),' all whomy t mayconcern:

e it known that I, SUMr'rn Lne Y Fnownns, a citizenL of the United States, residingat Boulder. in the county ot' llditlzler and .State ot' Colorado, have invented' neww and useful Improvements in QfhecklControlled Locks for Lockers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a check ILO controlled lock for lockers or wardrobes or such like devicesprimarily intended for use in public places,`such as, theater lobbies, public halls. etc., and designed to receive "l" the outer wraps, hats, umbrellas, etc.. of the Quests or patrmis the lobby and the primary object or the invention is the provision of simple but yeffective means arranged upon the locker4 or the door of the locker,whereby, upon the deposit of a com 2U or the ,like and the movement of a locking bolt, the door ot' the lockerI will be secured,

and a key or dummy will be delivered to i. the operator, which key or dummy upon being redeposited will permit of the operation of the locking bolt to unlock the locker, and thus dispense ywith the service of an attendant, as well las assuring` the operator .y that his wearing apparel is safely locked i within the locker until required by the said 3G operator.

Vith the above objects in view, and with others which 'will appear as the nature of' y, thelinvention 'isinore fully understood, the

improvement4 resides in the lconstruction,v

combination and operative arrangement ot' partsset forth inthe following description and falling within the scope of the appended gr-j claims, .y

yThe essential features of the invention `involved in carrying out thel objects above stated, -are necessarilysusceptible of embodiment .in various forms of construction with- ;out departingfromthescope of theV invention,l but certain `preferred and. practical embodiments are exempliied by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general view of a plurality of locker compartments provided with the improvement, Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical 59""longitudinal.sectional view taken through one of the lockers, Fig. 'l'is an enlarged -front elevation of the housing` of' the key-retaining and deliverv apparatus, parts beingin section, and illustrating the bolt in'its locking position, Fig. 4c is a similary view but `*Specification-of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 17, 1813. Serial No. 774,173.

Patented Apr. 25, 191e;

illustrating the bolt moved toits unlocking position, Fig. 5 is a horizont-.1l sectional view on the hne 5 5 of Fig. 3, Fig. 6 1s a detail vertical sectional view approximatelyon the line G G of Fig. 5, F ig. 7 is a transverse sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. S is a similar,- sectional view on the line S-S o'l Fig. 3 also looking in the direction of the arrow, F ig. 9 is a similar sectional view but .illustrating the arm 56 contacted by a check or weight to move the tumbler to a position to permit of the passage of the` reduced end of the lock bolt through the ope-ningl in the tumbler. Fig. 10 is a vertical. sectional view looking toward the key chute, the said chute being partly broken away to illustrate the arrangementv of thel tumbler before the same is contacted by the key or dummy. Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the tumbler contacted by the key or dummy, Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view showing the Lshaped opening provided by the coin chute and casing to permit otl the lateral movement of the tumbler when the said tumbler is swung by the weight of the coin, Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the tui'nblers, and Fig. 14 is perspective view of the key,

Referring now to the drawings in'detail, the numerals l designate a cluster of lockers or wardrobes which are adapted to be arranged permanently in a public place, such as, for instance, the lobby of theater.

y that the said door be locked after clothing has been deposited therein, so that the said clothing cannot be tampered with or removed by other than the authorized person or owner of the clothing. To accomplish this I provide each of the doors 2 with a suitable casing 4, which is preferably ,secured upon the inner face` of the door or which may be arranged within a suitable opening provided in the door, and -which lcontains mechanism `tor securely locking the door upon the deposit of a coin to within t-he casing. rilhe casing, it is to be under- 5 stood, maybe attached to the trame of the locker and have its locking element coperate with a suitable keeper upon the door, but when the casing' is applied directly to the door, as illustrated in the drawings, the same is arranged at a convenient point there- 0n and adjacent the edge oi the door opposite to that hinged to the frame `for the door. The frame, which may be designated by the numeral 5, is formed with a suitable recess.

or is otherwise provided with a keeper 6 for the reception of a locking bolt which is arranged within the casing 4l, and which will presently be described.

The casing 3'is preferably provided with a removable face plate 7 which is slotted vertically adjacent its opposite upper corners to provide a vkey or dummy slot or opening '8 and alcoin opening 9. The plate is further provided with a centrally arranged longitudinally extending opening 10 as well as with an opening 11 which is disposed at the lower left hand corner of the plate below the key opening 9, the said opening being surrounded by acup or receptacle 12, the latter being preferably semi-spheri- .cal and having its edges secured to the face plate. The face plate may be further provided with a suitable inscription of the directions for operating the device.

85 The casing et is preferably of a rectangular formation and has-its back provided with a hinged door 13`which is normally sustained in a closed position through the medium of a lock 14. The door 13 is arranged at the bottom of the casing and is adapted to provide means whereby access may be ob tained to the mechanism within the easing as well as to remove a coin tray 15 from within the casing. i The opposite side members ot the rectangular casing 3 are each provided with chutes 16 and 17 respectively. The chute 1G has Vboth its upper and lower portions provided with inclined or angular extensions 18 and 19, the said extensions adapted to register with the openings 8 and 1 1. The chute 1G is substantially rectangular in crosssection, but the opposite walls of the same may be Aprovided with ridges or depressions which are adapted tocoincide with similar ridges or depressions provided upon the key or dummy7 20. The chute has its inner side enlarged, or otherwise supported a slight distance away from the side ot the casing to which it is secured, and the vertically disposed member of the said chute has both its inner and outer walls or edgesslotted, as at 21 and 22. The slot upon vthe outer edge ot' the chute is of a greater length than the slot 22 upon the inner edge oit said chute, and

the inner wall of the chute, or the side thereof, secured to the casing, is provided with a slot or opening 23 which communicates with the vertically disposed slots 21 and 22, and whereby all of the slots provide a substantially L-shaped opening. Secured to the side ot the casing is a flat spring 24C which is bowed toward the outer face of the chute 1G so that the said spring provides a bridging elementor lclosu-re between the vertical slots 21 and 22 and the angular slot 23. The side of the casing, to .which the spring and chute 1G is attached, and which may be designated vby the numeral 25, is provided with a bolt opening 20 which is arranged a suitable distance forward ot the said chute and spring. Plvotally secured to the side 25, and adjacent the rear wall thereof, as designated by" the numeral 27, is the elongated arm 28 of a lever tumbler 29. The tumbler has its arm 2S passing through the slots 21 and 22, and the said arm is of a width and thickness co1'- responding with that of the slot 23, so that the said arm may be received within the said slot 23 to provide a clear passage in the chute, in a manner and for a purpose present-ly to be described. The tumbler lever has an enlarged head 30, the said head being provided with a bolt opening 31 which is of a size and shape coresponding with the bolt opening 23 in the side of the casing.

The spring 2l is adapted to engage with the lever tumbler 29 to normally retain the same within the passage 0i. the chute, and so provide the said chute with an obstruction or partition.

Pivotally secured to the rear of the back member of the casing 3, as at 32, is a longi tudina-lly disposed lever 33, the said lever having one ot its lends contacting with the undertace ot the arm 23 of the lever tumbler forward of its pivot 27. The lever has its opposite end provided with a weight 34,

the said weight being adjustable, so that thc pressure ot the lever 33 upon the arm 23 may be regulated to compensate 'tor the weight of the key 20, as will presently be ,set forth. The weighted lever 33, it will be noted, is adapted to swing the lever tumbler 29 upwardly ofthe chute 16, to cause its arm 28 to Contact with the upper walls provided by the openings 21 and 22. The key 20 is of a sufiicient weight to force the lever tumbler 29 downwardly within the vertical portion ot' the L-shaped opening, when the said key is deposited within the clmte and contacts with the said lever tumbler. .'1`he-tu1nbler is thus arranged directly opposite the angular portion or slot 23 ot' the L-shaped opening, and the bolt opening 3l of the' tumbler is brought into register with the bolt opening 2G oi" the side 2o of the casing.

The chute 16,' at a suitable .distance below its L-shaped opening, has its face or side 35, which I will term its outer face, provided sol with a transverse opening 36, the said openway 37 within which is arranged a slide 38. l

The slide 38 ,is provided v with an extending rod' or arm 39 that `is pivotally connected, as

at 4Q, with a dependingk arm #l1-provided upo'nfa locking bolt 42. 'lhemcking bolt 42 is arranged within suitable bearings43 upon theinner face .of the plate 7 of the casing and thc said bolt is provided with a knob 44 which extends through the opening 10 in the vplate I7, and whereby the said bolt may be movedy longitudinally of the casing. The bolt 42 is also provided with an upwardly extending member' 45 that is-connected with .a plate 46, the said plate being arranged at an angleA to the member 45.Y The plate 46 is provided with an elongated slot 47 and passing through the'slot is a headed member 48 that serves as aguide for the plate. The

plate 46 is disposed' within the path ofthe coin op'eningx9 inthe face plate 7, and is adapted to serve as a closure for the said opening when the locking bolt has been moved in the direction of the opening.

. The chute 17 hasits upper extremity pro v vided with an angular extension 49, the mouth of which being disposed opposite the coin opening 9 of the plate 7, and the said chute is provided upon its .frontandrear faces or'edgeswith openings 50 and .'51, the opening 56 being arranged upon what I will term the outer edge of the chute and is of a greaterv length than the opening 51. chute 17 is spaced a suitable distance awav from the inner wall of the side of the casingl to which it is attached, and the-inner side of said chute is provided with an openings 50 and 51, andy is of a size adapted to be received Within thel opening-53. Thespring 5 4 isadapted to vexert a 'tension against the' arm ofthe tumbler 57 to retain thevsaid arm-fin the vertical portion of the L- shpefd-slot or opening in the chute. Piviotallysecuredto the back of the casing, as

v V'1.t'5.8, is' a lever 59, thesaid lever vhaving .one

Y its endsarranged below the arm 56 of the y i;umblelg' and forward of itspivot. The op- 'posite endvof the lever 5 9-is provided with a jweight 60,. sothat the said lever.y normally forces the tumbler upwardly of the L-shaped slot of hef chute 17, and into contact with thelupp rwalls thereof.l rheweight 60 mayv The be adjustable, and the tumbler 57 is` pror-A vided with an enlarged face which is also provided witha bolt opening 61. The side.y y

55 of the casing is also provided witha bolt opening 62'which is Idisposed diamctrically oppositethe bolt opening 26, and in a plane lwith the angular opening of the `L-slnape-l slot or opening, as well as'forward of the `spring 54. The chute .'17 has its outletmouth .disposed above the coin tray 15, so that the ends of .said bolt are providedfwith reduced y portions63 and 64 respectively,'the said-rcduced' portions being of a less diameter than the area of the bolt openings, and the said.

reduced g portions provide the .bolt with. [shoulders 65` and 6G respectively.

It is tobe .understoodthat'the weight I 60 is ,adjusted upon the lever 59 tocompensate foi `the weight of the coin to be delirered to within the coin chute,.that is,`the poin is of siicient weight to tilt the said ever.

It `is to be understood that one ofthe re- 'n' duced ends or fingers 63 or 64 is at all times received within one'fo-f the openings of one sufficient tension or strength to swing the said tumblers to within the vertical portions of the L-shaped slots ofthe chutes, the lever tumbler not engaged by the bolt being under the influence of its weight leverfand as a consequence forced upwardly of yits L- shaped slot to bring its opening out of reg- -ister with the opening upon this side of the casing, and its enlarged face forming an.

abutment for preventing the movement of the lockingv bar in its direct-ion.

Vile will now suppose that the kcy`20 is supported upon the slide 38 within the chute'16, and that la person having de-y posited his clothing within a locker .desiresf to lock the door of the same. He will insert a coin throughthe opening .9 to within the chute 17. lrlhe coin contacts with the arm 56 of the tumbler lever 57 `and overbalanc'es the weight'lever l59, whichbrin'gs the bolt'A opening 61 directly` opposite' the bolt opening 62 in the casing. The bolt ismoved by to within the keeper 6. The shoulder 66 f the bolt forces the arm 56 of the 'tumbler 57 to within vthe angular portion of the recess, thus-permitting the cointo drop` in meantime, the slide 88 has been drawn out of the chute 16 to permit of the key gravitating to within the cup 12 from whence it the chute to within the trav 15. In the .'-f

[surrounded by a guideway, a slide arranged within the guideway, a key for the chute, said key adapted to be inserted in the key chute and to Contact the tumbleif to force ister with the key-hole opening of the cas.

the same downward of the Lshaped slot and to bringthe opening thereoflintolreging and to arrange the said tumbler adjacent the angular portion of 4the L-shaped slot, a sliding bolt having its ends formed With reduced fingers providing shoulders, said slide connected with the bolt, one of the ingers of the bolt adapted to be passed through the registering openings of the tumbler of the key chute and the casing and to have its shoulder contact with and force the tumbler into the angular portion of the" slot and the slide to Within the chute to permit. of the key'being received upon the slide, the second finger of the bolt being disposed inv the path of the head of the tumbler of the coin chute, a coin for the coin passage adapted to contact with the tunibler to lbring the opening of its head into register with the bolt opening upon this side of the casing and to permit ofthe sliding of the bolt in this direction to force the tumbler into the angular portiogbf ythe slot to allow the coin gravitating through the chute and to move the slide out of ythe key chute t'o within its guide to :pprinitrof the' bolt opening out of alinement with one of the ends of the bolt to .retain the other end of the bolt in the bolt opening of the other tumbler, and the said tumblers being arranged in the chutes in the path of Contact with a key 'or a coin adapted to-be moved thereby to bring the' bolt opening' thereof in alinement with the bolt to permit of the bolt being slid out of engagement with the bolt opening in one of the tumblers through'the bolt opening of the other tumbler. 5. A check controlled lock for lockers including a check ehute' havmg an ingress i opening at one 'of its ends and an egress opening at its other end, and a coin chute having an ingress opening at one of its ends, a

pivot-ed tumbler passing through each of the chutes arranged Within the path of contact of the key or coin inserted .in the said chute and adapted to be tilted by the 4'weight of said key or coin, each of said tumblers havying a bolt opening, asldable bolt having one of its yends passing through the lbolt opening of one ofthe tumblers, means for tilting each of tho tumblers to normallyA bring the bolt opening thereof out of alinement with the bolt to permit one of the i tumblers being arranged in the path of contact with one of the ends fof the bolt to sustain the opposite end of the bolt in engagement with the other tumbler, a slide `in the key chute above the egress opening thereof, a co nection between the slide and the bolt, said slide adapted to bemoved by the bolt out of the said chute when the bolt'is passed through the opening in the tumbler of the coin chute.

6. A check controlled manually operated lock formed with a coin chute having an ingress opening at one end thereof, and alsol formed. with a check chute having an ingress opening at one of its ends and an egress opening at the other end thereof, pivoted tumblers one passing through each of the chutes, means for each of the tumblers for tilting the tumblers, spring means for nor= mally retaining the tumblers in the chutes,

f' each of said tumblers including a head portion having a bolt opening, a slidable bolt having one of its ends passed through the opening in one of the tumblers and its opposite'end out of alinement with the bolt opening but in the path of Contact with the other tumbler, said bolt having its ends provided with shoulders adapted to contact with the tumblers toforce the same out of the chutes when said bolt is arranged in the opening of either of said tumblers, a slid'e 1n the check chute above Athe egress opening the bolt, said slide. being arranged to be moved out of the check chute when the bolt has its end passed through the bolt openingv nin. thetu'mbler ofthe coin chute and the said bolt .brought out of, the opening in the tumblerf'of the check` chute.

In testimdny whereof I affix my signature in presence oftWo Witnesses.

sUMrfrEnLEIg FLOWERS.

l EMMA PAYNE, AJ. W. CnoWDnR., l

10o thereof, a connection between the slide and 

